Agni Purana — Dharma-shastra, Shloka 34
Prāyaścitta — Definitions of Killing, Brahmahatyā, and Graded Expiations
गवाद्यैर् अन्नमाघ्रातं भुक्त्वा त्र्यहमुपावसेत् रेतोविण्मूत्रभक्षी तु प्राजापत्यं समाचरेत्
gavādyair annamāghrātaṃ bhuktvā tryahamupāvaset retoviṇmūtrabhakṣī tu prājāpatyaṃ samācaret
牛などに嗅がれた食物を食したなら、三日間の断食を行うべきである。だが、精液・糞・尿を口にした場合は、プラージャーパティヤ（Prājāpatya）という贖罪行を修すべきである。
Lord Agni (teaching the sage Vasiṣṭha in the Agni Purāṇa’s instructional dialogue framework)
Vidya Category: {"primary_vidya":"Dharmashastra","secondary_vidya":"Vrata","practical_application":"Selecting the correct penance: short fasting for minor contamination (food smelled by cattle) and major expiation (Prājāpatya) for grave ingestion taboos.","sutra_style":true}
Encyclopedic Reference: {"reference_type":"Procedure","entry_title":"Three-day fast for food smelled by cattle; Prājāpatya for consuming semen/feces/urine","lookup_keywords":["go-āghrāta-anna","tryaha-upavāsa","retaḥ-bhakṣaṇa","viṇmūtra-bhakṣaṇa","prājāpatya-prāyaścitta"],"quick_summary":"If one eats food merely smelled by cows and similar animals, a three-day fast is prescribed. Consuming semen, feces, or urine requires the heavier Prājāpatya expiation."}
Concept: Prāyaścitta is proportional: minor external contamination is met with limited fasting, while grave transgressions demand structured, higher penance (Prājāpatya).
Application: When a lapse occurs, classify it (minor/major) and adopt the matching vrata/penance rather than arbitrary self-punishment.
Khanda Section: Dharma-shastra / Prāyaścitta (Expiations and Purificatory Rites)
Primary Rasa: bibhatsa
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A cow sniffs a covered food pot; the eater later undertakes a three-day fast. A separate symbolic panel indicates the grave taboo and the formal Prājāpatya observance (austerity posture, regulated meals).","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural, two-panel narrative: cow smelling a vessel of cooked rice, then an ascetic householder seated with minimal food and water pot for three days; second panel shows stricter vrata iconography for Prājāpatya, stylized calendar marks","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting, gold detailing on the food vessel and cow ornaments, devotee in austere posture with sparse setting, second vignette with more severe penance cues, ornate borders","mysore_prompt":"Mysore style, instructional: clear depiction of cow sniffing food (āghrāta), then a three-day fasting sequence shown by three small day markers; Prājāpatya shown as regulated observance with measured portions","mughal_miniature_prompt":"Mughal miniature, pastoral courtyard with cow near kitchen, later the person in a quiet chamber observing fast, attendants noting days; separate inset for formal penance scene with minimalistic austerity"}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"instructional","suggested_raga":"Todi","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"instructional"}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: go-ādyaiḥ → gavādyaiḥ; annam + āghrātam → annamāghrātam; tri-aham + upāvaset → tryahamupāvaset.
Related Themes: Agni Purana 173 (graded expiations); Agni Purana sections describing vrata types (Cāndrāyaṇa, Kṛcchra, etc.)
FAQs
It prescribes specific expiations: a three-day fast for eating food merely tainted by being sniffed by cattle/animals, and the more formal Prājāpatya penance for the grave impurity of ingesting semen, feces, or urine.
It exemplifies the Agni Purāṇa’s dharma-practical sections by cataloging graded impurities and matching them with corresponding prāyaścittas—functioning like a ritual-legal manual alongside its many other disciplines.
The verse frames impurity as karmically consequential and teaches that intentional, rule-based austerity (fasting/Prājāpatya) restores ritual fitness and mitigates the demerit arising from contact with or ingestion of highly impure substances.